1980s

Robert C. “Bob” Roberts, MPA ’81, became COO in Jan. 2019 of Legacy Capital, a wealth management firm in Little Rock, AR, after eight years as a CPA and 30 years as a healthcare finance executive at CFO Baptist Health - Little Rock. He continues his very active trumpeting career, performing with the Natural State Brass Band and the Little Rock Winds.

Jay Battershell, BA ’83, MBA ’96, and Tara Battershell, BBA ’83, MBA ’84, of Flower Mound, TX, established the Cyber Security Endowed Excellence Fund to support efforts related to the field of cyber security in the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Kathryn Holcombe Wheeler, BS ’83, was elected to the Addison, TX, city council. Wheeler previously served as the chairman and vice-chairman of the Addison planning and zoning commission for five terms and before that was on the board of zoning adjustment for more than three years. She has additionally served on the Addison Arbor Foundation. Wheeler is a graduate of Leadership Metrocrest and the Addison Citizen’s Academy. She worked on the Addison comprehensive plan of 2013 and the Addison airport master plan of 2016. Wheeler’s husband Scott was Addison’s mayor from 1999 to 2005.

Joe Cestari, BS ’84, and Beth Cestari, BSEd ’84, of Round Rock, TX, established two endowed funds within the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The Bargainer Endowed Faculty Award Fund recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence in areas such as undergraduate and graduate teaching and research or scholarship. The Eisenbarth Research Equipment Endowed Fund supports the purchase of equipment or materials to continually improve research capabilities.

Kelly Malone, BA ’85, recently served as editor and a contributing writer for his fifth book, Leadership in Small Churches, Lexington Books, 2021. He lives in Bolivar, MO, with his wife Molly, where he serves as director of global education, professor of intercultural studies and holds the Jack Stanton Chair of Evangelism at Southwest Baptist University. Both of his children are Baylor alumni, Maggie Malone, BA ’17, and Kevin Malone, BA ’19.

Col. Robyn A. Chumley, BA ’85, MA ’88, U.S. Air Force (ret.), of Pensacola, FL, established the Dr. Sara J. Stone Endowed Scholarship Fund in Journalism for First Generation Students in honor of Sara J. Stone, PhD. The scholarship supports first-generation students pursuing a major in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media.